In the search box, type “Defragment and Optimize Drives”. However, if you notice your computer being slow, you may have to follow up with a manual defrag. 
Windows 10 will automatically defrag your HDD once a week (default setting). If you’re running Mac OS X 10.2 or later, the OS will automatically defrag your HDD. Defragging your HDD rearranges the fragmented data so it can work more efficiently. The fragmentation will cause extra work for your HDD, which can slow down your computer.
In the list of results, select “Disk Cleanup”Īs your HDD stores and deletes files over time, it will become more and more fragmented (defragging a SSD is not necessary). To access Disk Cleanup, follow the steps listed below: You’ll be able to remove temporary Internet files, temporary system files, optional Windows components, offline webpages, and more. Disk Cleanup analyzes and removes unused and unnecessary files from your HDD. In the list of results, select “Disk Utility”įree up storage space with Disk Cleanup on Windows. In the search field, type “Disk Utility”. Press the Command key + Space Bar keyboard shortcut to show the Spotlight search field. To access Disk Utility, follow the steps listed below: If your HDDs and partitions are causing errors, you can either repair the HDD or erase the volume. Disk Utility also allows you to combine multiple HDDs into a RAID. Each properly formatted partition will show up as a volume in Finder, allowing you store your files. You can organize your data by dividing your HDD into sections called partitions. Here’s how to access them.ĭisk Utility on the Mac allows you to manage internal and external hard drives. Disk Utility for the Mac and Disk Cleanup for Windows provide multiple features to help clean up your hard drive. Whether you’re on Mac or Windows, both operating systems offer built-in apps to facilitate cleaning up the abyss that is your hard drive. Having both will ensure that your important photos, videos, and documents are backed up twice (you may have to purchase more space for online cloud storage). A good way to do this is to back up your data to an external hard drive as well as an online cloud service, such as Microsoft OneDrive, Apple iCloud, Google Drive, or Dropbox. Always Back up Your Data Firstīefore you start doing anything to your hard drive, you should always back up your important files first. Defragging your old HDD and properly formatting newly-installed SSDs will ensure that your computer doesn’t become bloated or sluggish. 
In a few simple steps, you can analyze and clean out your HDD to free up valuable storage space. Have you noticed your computer being slower than usual? Before you use this as an excuse to purchase a new laptop (we know it’s tempting), you might want to opt for a more cost-effective approach, which is cleaning out the hard drive (HDD).
0 kommentar(er)
